Kate Bunting Librarian and 17th century reenactor >>> [EMAIL PROTECTED] 11/07/2005 21:58 >>>
In a message dated 7/11/2005 4:51:26 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: jacquard Main Entry: jac·quard Pronunciation: 'ja-"kärd Of course it's a proper name, so the French pronunciation is fine too, as far as I'm concerned. _______________________________________________ Last week I attempted to forward to the list an article about the Jacquard loom from "Oxford Reference Online", but the system wouldn't let me. Here's the relevant bit: "The invention of the Jacquard loom by Joseph Marie Jacquard (1752-1834), born in Lyons, France, simplified weaving, but it also cost thousands of silk workers their jobs. There was much turmoil, and Jacquard on one occasion was seized by an angry mob and barely escaped with his life. The problem subsided when Napoleon purchased the loom and declared it to be the property of the French state. The purchase hastened the lowering of silk prices, which, in turn, greatly improved the market for silk, and thus helped the reemployment of workers in that industry. In 1819 Jacquard was awarded a gold medal and the Cross of the Legion of Honour. The use of his loom spread to England in the 1820s and from there virtually worldwide." When I was young I once had a holiday job at a local textile factory. Nearby was a man operating a machine to make the punched cards for Jacquard weaving. I should think the design was virtually unchanged since the 19th century. _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list [email protected] http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
